


It's Okay

by OneStepShort



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 05:57:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18867136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneStepShort/pseuds/OneStepShort
Summary: Tony gets to see an old friend one last time.





	It's Okay

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. I'm new.

“I...Am...Inevitable.” Thanos has the gauntlet. He’s too distracted by his success to see what Tony’s done. 

He snaps his fingers, and nothing happens but a harsh metallic clink. 

Tony has all the stones in his hand, integrating with his armor. This is it. This is the one future. This is his final stand. Go big or go home, he thinks. 

“And I...am Iron Man.” He snaps his fingers. 

He’s not an idiot. He knows the rules of time travel. If he wants to keep his current continuity intact, he has to set right the anachronism of Thanos and his armies. He doesn’t kill them, only sends them all back into 2014, including Nebula and Gamora, with no memory of what happened. Morgan will continue to exist. That’s all that matters. 

It creates a time loop, in a sense. But the loop only ends one way. 

Tony isn’t conscious enough to see it, but everything in Thanos’s cohort dissolves. Every space whale, every soldier, everyone in the black order. Thanos loses, and he has to watch his children die. That’s justice. 

It’s impossible to describe the pain. It’s greater than anything his body’s ever taken, and he’s had open heart surgery in a cave. The power courses through him, burning everything in its path. An ugly gray scar singes itself into his skin, crawling all the way up his side into his face. 

He collapses against a pile of rubble, his brain fried to a crisp. 

Oh good, Rhodey’s here. He’s wearing his Iron Patriot armor. The paint job is still stupid. 

The kid comes up to him. Right...Peter’s alive. They did it. They...

“Mr Stark? We won. We won Mr. Stark.” 

The kid’s scared. Why would he be scared? Everything’s okay now. He wants to tell peter everything will be okay, but his voice is far away now. Everything is getting further and further away. 

“I’m sorry. Tony...” Damn. He must really be shaken if he’s calling him Tony. Something must be wrong. But Tony doesn’t feel like anything is wrong. He’s surrounded by his family. His pain is gone. 

Finally, Pepper comes to him in her Rescue Armor. She looks so much better in the suit than he ever will. 

Her presence calls some of him back. He manages a small “Hey Pep.” He’s able to look in her eyes. 

She smiles, still strong after everything, carrying him to the end. 

“It’s okay,” she whispers. “You can rest now.” Rest...that sounds good. Yes, just for a moment...

The darkness starts to swallow him, but he’s not scared. He welcomes it. It’s a relief, after all these years.

But instead of the inky black nothingness, he’s greeted with a soft light. He’s surrounded by orange on all sides, standing ankle deep in water but somehow still dry. He looks down at his body, and the scares are gone. His armor and the Gauntlet are gone too, leaving him with just his street clothes. 

“Hey shell-head.” 

He turns around in surprise. 

“Miss me?” 

A smile cracks onto his face. “Hey Nat.” 

She returns his smile. A small part of him knows this must be the soul stone, knows they’re both dead, but he doesn’t care. Seeing her is all that matters. 

They share a hug, holding each other tight, knowing it’s the last time. He relaxes in her arms. 

“We won,” he whispers into her shoulder. 

“I know.” She pulls back to look up at him. There are tears in her eyes.

His smile fades. “You deserve better,” he says hoarsely, feeling his own tears coming. 

Natasha chuckles softly. “I’m alright.” She looks around the vast expanse. “There’s more to here than you can see.” She gives Tony’s hand one more squeeze. “Thank you. For everything.” It’s all she needs to say. 

He takes a shaky breath. “You’ve done so much for us, Nat. For me. We love you. I’m...I’m sorry we never told you sooner.” 

“Bet you boys can’t function without me.” She’s only half joking, but Tony chokes out a small laugh anyway. “I’m always looking after you guys. Don’t worry.” She smiles. “Morgan needs her Auntie Nat.” 

That does it for Tony, and his tears start falling in full force. “How?” He finally manages. 

“The soul stone has wisdom, power,” she answers. “It’s a part of me now. And I’m a part of it. There’s so much…” she trails off, then shakes her head. 

They look out into the great beyond, the infinity of the soul stone. It’s daunting, but beautiful. Pure. 

“You ready?” She finally asks him. 

He takes one last look at her, the friend he never deserved, who always had his back, ever since she walked into his life as Natalie Rushman and kicked Happy’s ass in the Boxing ring. They’ve come a long way since then. It’s their time to tap out now. He takes in one more deep breath and lets it out slowly. Savoring it. 

“Always.”


End file.
